Nikon's president confirms a 'D5' mirrorless equivalent is in the works

Japanese business publication Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun has shared a quote from a recent interview with Nikon's CEO, Mr. Toshikazu Umatate, wherein he says a flagship mirrorless camera—equivalent to Nikon's D5 DSLR—will be introduced.

Nikon to introduce a top-end model of the mirror-less camera. Time is a non-published, but Umatate Toshikazu president was revealed in response to the interview of the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun. Top-end model of the digital single-lens reflex camera “D5.”

No specific time-frame was given for the impending release, but this marks the first time anyone from Nikon has officially confirmed a pro-style mirrorless camera designed to replace Nikon's flagship D4/D5 DSLR lineup.

Comments

The reflex camera is a camera that allows you to directly see the scene to be photographed without parallax error thanks to a mirror that reflects (reflects) the light of said scene and sends it to the optical viewfinder through a prism. http://www.ssweddingphotography.com

Current mirrorless cameras also allow you to see the scene to be photographed without parallax error thanks to an EVF (electronic view finder) which presents the image as it is captured by the camera's sensor and processed.Early EVFs were marginal, but current ones are superior to a reflex image in many situations, and the mechanical circus that is needed to move the reflex mirror out of the way and return it is no longer needed.

But the reality is that for this camera to make serious gains in the sports market, it needed lenses such as the 200-600mm and 600mm that were just introduced THIS MONTH. You also have to remember that people just like yourself used to say, "Canon EOS? Those cameras have never been spotted at a sporting event! Because pros don't trust Canon and won't use Canon, especially after they abandoned their FD system." Sorry, but those statements, just like yours, will not age well.

Remember, Nikon users also scoffed hysterically at Canon's chances in the pro market.

@T3:No, don't lump me in with whatever group you're stereotyping. I don't give a rat's ass about brand name. Only characteristics of brands/individual cameras.

It ain't the lenses. It's the ergos. For basketball and tennis you don't need 600mm. No more than 400mm, and rarely more than 300mm. 70-200mm f2.8 is the weapon of choice. Same for journalism; 24-70mm f2.8 and 70-200mm f2.8. That's all you need for press photography unless you're shooting field/distant sports. Sony's had those lenses forever.

People said that for the first several years of the Canon EOS system as well. Canon introduced the EOS system in 1987. They introduced their first pro body, the EOS 1, in 1989. It wasn't until the EOS 1N in 1994 that Canon started taking over the pro market. But up until then, smug overconfident people such as yourself would say snide things like "So where's Wa9do? 😉" about Canon EOS. But then Canon proceeded to eat Nikon's lunch 😉! Nikon started losing massive usership. EOS went from zero usership in 1987 to overtaking Nikon by the late 1990s. Now, apparently we have the same kinds of snide comments that were once thrown at Canon now being applied to Sony. History will not be kind to you.

@T3:This is just going circular. You're committed to the notion that I'm invested in DSLR and/or Nikon dominance. I'll say this 1 more time, please remember it:

1) I WANT to go mirrorless! 2) I don't care about brand name.

If Sony released the 7RM3's guts in a body identical or very similar to the D850 or D750 or D5, with menus identical or very similar to Nikon's or Canon's i would buy it right now. I came really close to getting an S1R despite the ergos not being very similar to Nikon's DSLRs. And i DO own a 7RM2 despite it being nothing at all like the ML I'm describing desiring. And an RX10M3. And a Fuji X-T20 that's likely going to be replaced with an Oly E-M10M3 very soon. And a Lumix GX1 from back in the day.

So yeah, it's not bias against ML or Sony. Current ML offerings simply aren't pro-caliber yet. The tech is good enough for most pro applications now. But the body design is not. And that's merely a choice. Unfortunately no manufacturer's made the choice to release pro egos yet, except arguably the S1.

And THAT'S what's exciting about Nikon's President's confirmation. FINALLY someone's going to make an ML with pro ergos! I don't care about the performance stats, which will surely be eye-popping. Don't care. The Z's performance is already good enough for me but it's just not in a usable body. FINALLY a mirrorless i can ENJOY using! THAT is what it's ALL about for me. 🙂

@T3:It's actually this damn version of Android. When i was using my S7Edge with whatever version of Android that was, autocorrect errors were somewhat rare. For some reason Android Pie's autocorrect is over-the-top awful. And it just can't seem to figure out that i use "ergos" a lot and is always sticking "ethos" or "egos" in its place.

Egos are a problem though, and it's Nikon's collective ego that's kept them out of the FF ML game for too long, and them milking their customers for an additional generation (the current Z generation) before they release the MILCs they should have opened with. It's those kinds of decisions of theirs that leave me with zero loyalty to them. I'd LOVE to bail on Nikon except their ergos are the best...

List of camera types obsoleted by newer designs on request. Anybody using a folder, or a Speed Graphic? For that matter, even the film SLR has essentially been replaced.What makes anyone thing the DSLR will be any different?

Because they still have their merrits? 20 Years ago no one believed Leica would survive with old cams like rangefinders. Rangefinders? Hilarious! No advantage whatsoever. Today they get copied by Fuji or others again, the brand has high value. The mirrorless-tech has it's advantages and the DSLR technology, too. Would you replace a Truck with a new Sportscar? I don't understand all this praying for specific brands or techs... is this the mirrorlesschurch and you're the priests? Then I feel like staying on my housesdoor talking to Jehovah's Witnesses.

No glue, no arguments but they are keep coming and coming and coming... talking to people who don't want to hear it. But that's what's religion is based on, I guess.

I don't think there are very many besides the paid Sony artisans. They are vocal and post a lot so it looks like there are more. But I've never seen a Sony at any sports event, and I am lucky enough to attend several major events every year and regular season events weekly.

@vscd - Sony just released their 1st pro body, the A9, in 2017. They released their 1st telephoto prime, the FE 400mm, in 2018. They just released their FE 200-600mm and FE 600mm *THIS* month. A lot of photogs have been waiting for these lenses to be introduced before switching. Your comment reminds me of when Canon introduced their 1st EOS pro body, the EOS 1, in 1989. There wasn't a whole lot of uptake amongst pros until they introduced the EOS 1N in 1994. Then it went from "I've never seen a Canon at any sports event" to "Canon lenses are everywhere at sporting events!" That applies to Sony as well, except that people have been waiting for a greater selection of telephotos to be released. There's typically a tipping point that happens before a significant change occurs. I think it was naive to think that Sony would have much presence at sports events until *AFTER* they released lenses such as the 400mm, 200-600mm, and 600mm. And even then, it takes time for people to switch.

@T3. Hey Sonyprayer. Sony released their "Pro" A99 series several yeeeeears ago... and nobody uses them for serious sports until today. The A9 may be the first "professional" mirrorless, but not the first "professional" Sonybody. Professionals need more than a good cams or long focallenghts... they need a company they can trust with a support you can rely on. That's one of the reasons why Nikon is still so strong... they have the, admittedly, great Sonysensors with a serious eco-system around it. Plus ergonomics.

I remember people like yourself also dismissing Canon gaining ground amongst pros when the EOS system was new. People like you said , "Hey Canonprayer. Canon doing well against Nikon amongst pros? Not a chance! They failed with their FD system, and they will fail with their EOS system. Pros will never switch to Canon." Well, how did that turn out? Canon ended up eating Nikon's lunch.

You guys are getting desperate. But this has played out before. Back when Canon EOS was new, people said that Canon had a pro FD system that failed, and no serious photographers would ever invest in Canon again, so the EOS system was doomed. Those naysayer ended up with egg on their face. Now we have similarly desperate people trying to argue why the Sony pro system will never go anywhere. Again, these people will end up with egg on their faces. Times change, people change, perceptions change. If Canon can go from a company that the photography community hated and blasted for abandoning their FD system and FD users, to becoming the top camera company in the world-- overtaking long-entrenched Nikon-- Sony certainly can do something similar. And all of your naysaying won't stop it because the same naysaying and brand assassination was thrown at Canon-- and it still didn't stop Canon. Back then, people hated Canon more than you guys hate Sony right now. And yet, Canon still won out.

Really? If it weren't for their low-end sales, Canon would be in the toilet right now. All of Canon's more expensive recent releases have been sales duds. The 6D MKII was a dud. The EOS R was a dud. The EOS RP was a dud. We all know that if Canon still had its mojo, every one of these releases would have been top sellers week after week, month after month- especially considering Canon's massive user base. That didn't happen. When you get up to the more expensive bodies, Canon falls and Sony takes over. For example, all the BCN rank listings for 2019 have shown that the A7III is the top FF ILC in Japan. And the top-selling higher-priced APS-C body is the A6400.

While Sony may be winning at attracting new customers to ILCs, the VAST lions share of high-end/pro photographers shoot DSLRs, and those photographers don't feel compelled to buy ANYONE'S mirrorless. Because current mirrorless offerings by all manufacturers combined just are not compelling to experienced/pro photographers. Again, primarily due to awful ergonomics across the entire mirrorless field, and poor AF performance. Now that mirrorless AF is almost there with good DSLRs, really what is holding high-end/pro photographers back is ergonomics.

You will see the mirrorless floodgates open when Nikon, Canon, or Sony finally offers a MILC with DSLR-caliber ergos/haptics. But not 1 day before that happens.

That is a foolish thing to say. Firstly, pros are switching. You're just in denial of it. Secondly. it's only recently that bodies were introduced that cater to high end pros. A9 was just released in 2017, EOS R and Nikon Z bodies were just released in 2018. Do you seriously think that the "VAST lions share of high-end/pro photographers" would immediately switch over in such a short period of time? What an absurd idea. Heck, high-end pros didn't even switch from film SLRs to digital SLRs that quickly! The time scale you are looking at is still ridiculously short.

BTW, not everyone wants to go back to using behemoth-sized DSLRs with a million buttons scattered all over them. The only reason why that size of body became so prevalent is because users had no other choice. That's what happens when you have a restrictive duopoly.

@T3:What's with you and the namecalling? You didn't used to be this way. Please keep comments like "foolish" to yourself. Thanks.

As you properly quoted, what I said was "the VAST lions share of high-end/pro photographers shoot DSLRs, and those photographers don't feel compelled to buy ANYONE'S mirrorless." And that is totally true. I know you always like to mention those 2 photographers that switched to MILC, even though that one guy that shoots the Holga also (the guy I'm a big fan of) seems to never capture a clear image. You could probably name 1,000 pros, maybe 10,000, that have completely switched to MILC. But the DSLR pros number in the millions. And perhaps they, like me, are eagerly awaiting switching to MILC. But, like me, they're not compelled to switch yet because no MILC has been compelling enough to make the switch for. Again... primarily due to awful current MILC ergos/haptics.

Not 1 single MILC caters to high-end pros. Only the S1/S1R tried. But ultimately fell short on AF as everyone knew would be the case. You'll say the a9 is such a MILC, but with those ergos, it's no wonder it has not replaced many D5s or 1DXM2s. Pros demand the million buttons and dials. It is all about ergos! It doesn't matter that "not everyone wants" all those buttons and dials. That's why not everyone has a D5 or 1DXM2. But the D5 and 1DXM2 are THE de facto pro bodies nonetheless. And not because of the Nikon-Canon duopoly. Those bodies evolved over decades of pro demands. Nikon and Canon don't tell pros what to shoot. Pros tell Nikon and Canon what to make. Sony doesn't have that pro input and it shows. But they don't need it, really. They could just copy Nikon or Canon. But instead, they keep trying to reinvent the wheel. Sony's monopoly in MILC is over now, and unless they get serious about ergos, once Nikon and Canon drop DSLR ergos into their MILCs, Sony will eat it.

@Rex C - "98% of cameras used at major sporting events are Canon and Nikon."

100% idle speculation.

@Rex C - "Canon has some of the highest rated and most reliable service and support,"

no, canon just shut down their Jamesburg nj service facility, their support network is falling apart, because they can't afford to maintain it.

The following slide deck was published by Canon Inc. in conjunction with their 2019 Q1 earnings call:

"The transformation of the business portfolio is progressing as we planned aligned with our mid-term direction. As a result, our company has changed itself from a traditional camera and office equipment oriented company to one that now has new business spheres... Raising new business ratio to 25% of total sales.We are taking measures to shift our business focus toward B2B, expanding our business sphere to automotive and industry use."

@T3 and MILC...you both upvote each other, don't you? Do you have a reallife-experience on professional photographers, apart from paid influencer who "switched" for money? The comparision of "when I was young, Canon told that blabla bla blubb" is so displaced. Canon was introducing the EF-mount and not a small batteryeating body which is something different in the sportsworld. Sony's professional bodies like the A99 are out now for a decade and *NO ONE* uses them.I guess they even painted the lenses white to look "professional" like Canon... but they failed. Not since a few weeks, but since the A-mount exists.

I would really like to know what Sony pays you both for the obeying...

Guys, the whole point of change is that things go from a current state to a new state. For example, right now, almost all pros use DSLRs. In a few years, almost all pros will be using mirrorless. So pointing out the current state doesn't mean that a future state won't happen. Likewise, Nikon dominated the pro market from the 1960s to the 1990s. Canon tried with their FD system, but failed. Then in the 1990s, the Canon EOS system came to domination and it stayed dominate throughout the AF SLR/DSLR era. But now we are entering a new era. What does that mean? Change! Nikon dominated in the manual SLR era. Canon dominated in the AF SLR era. As we enter the mirorless era, we will undergo yet another change, with changes in positions for various brands.

The problem with you guys-- as well as many people like you in the past-- is dealing with change. But the only constant is change. It happens whether you like it or not.

@vscd - "Canon was introducing the EF-mount and not a small batteryeating body which is something different in the sportsworld."

No, the battery eating bodies are the current Canon and Nikon mirrorless bodies. The A9 has very good battery life. Easily enough to last the typical length of a sporting event, especially with the battery grip. Watch and learn:

Battery life is simply no longer an issue with the A9 when it comes to practical use in the real world, as discussed in these videos. And people who keep using that excuse are ill-informed and/or have no experience with the A9.

@T3:No, it's not a resistance to change. I'm looking forward to going mirrorless. I see the advantages of EVF and full-sensor AF. But those are just 2 traits in a camera. There's a lot more to a camera. Namely ergonomics. Bad ergos means way more missed shots than shots that would be gained by having EVF and full-sensor AF. You won't see many experts/pros shooting a camera with poor ergos, period. Mirror or no mirror. It's not the absent mirror keeping us away. It's mainly the ergos. And in the case of Sony, very much the menus as well. I just got an X-T20 and i was pretty shocked to find that, while the X-T20 is obviously no pro camera, Fuji's ergos and menus are substantially worse than Sony's. It's really a truly stupid design full of arbitrary self-crippling characteristics that's not apparent until actually using the camera. But it's pretty, lol. 😆

I'd say it's an overblown issue. I've been using DSLRs since the Canon 10D in 2003. Since then I've owned the 20D, 40D, 5D, and 60D, with and without battery grips. Now I use Sony mirrorless. I've added an extension plate/Arca plate. The ergos are great. Just as good as my Canons.

I also have a battery/portrait grip as well. Sorry, but this whole "ergos" argument is weak at best. ML will overtake DSLRs, even amongst pros, and people will adapt to change like they always have. It will be mirrorless ergos that will become the norm. The days of the behemoth DSLR is coming to a close.

@T3:Nothing wrong with the way you shoot, or your photographic wants and needs. Whatever works for you is absolutely what you should go with. And I'm glad you've found happiness with your Sony.

But obviously your wants and needs aren't aligned with pros on the whole. No offense, but this is a thread about a mirrorless equivalent to the current definitive professional body. If D5 shooters wanted smaller/lighter and didn't need D5 ergos, they could have switched to the D850 and shed 400g per body and only lost 2fps but more than double their resolution and get way better IQ. Nope, didn't happen.

It is all about the ergos. You don't need 'em, but you've never needed or wanted a D5 or 1DXM2. That's fine, but you are not the target market for journalist camera bodies. Current D5 and 1DXM2 shooters are. And they have very clearly chosen to not go with ANY ML yet, regardless of brand. While ML is working great for you, it's obviously just not pro-ready yet. If it was... pros would be shooting them. I mean, it really is that simple. ML isn't even ready for me yet, and I'm not nearly as demanding as i used to be. It is NO mystery at all to me why so far ML has largely (i didn't say "exclusively") been adopted by new ILC customers and almost completely dismissed by pros.

@MilkManIt's not about who was first with white lenses, it's about looking professional. Sony wants to be in the pro-circle, so they think it's better with white lenses... even without having large fluorite elements which were prone to heat back then.

There were white lenses back in 1958 in germany like the 1000mm Astragon lens.

No false claims here... I never said Canon invented it. But the Sonydogs are barfing on anything. You prooved it ones again.

@T3"The days of the behemoth DSLR is coming to a close."

Blablabla... we heard that for years now. Especially from you and the ML-priests. Vinyl should be dead, film should be dead, mechanical watches should be dead... the opposite is true. You are a priest without a church.

@MILFManAre you retarded? I backtracked nothing and I never said that Canon was the first. I wrote nothing about Minolta and never meant that Canon had white lenses before Minolta. You should really learn to read and quote sources before you call other comments "ridiculous post". Ones again for you: Canon painted their professional L-line with white colours, especially on longer focallenghts. Today they are very noticeable with this on the line of sportsfields. Sony wants to be seen and so they try to mimic others. *I* think this is intentional. That's it. Live with it.

look at the desperate dslr owners, grasping for straws over white lenses that Minolta had before canon did:

@vscd - "they even painted the lenses white to look "professional" like Canon"

literally the most ridiculous claim in this thread!

you are both wrong, just suck it up and move on... but oh wait, there isn't anything to move on to :-0 except for dead-tech obsolete dslrs that aren't selling! that's why you are both stuck with making false claims about "ergos" and the color of lenses, lol

No, Sony inherited the tradition of white lenses from Minolta, which had been making white lenses for quite some time. (Sony bought Minolta's photography division in 2006.) Consider, for example, the Minolta Rokkor 800mm f/8 introduced in 1972.

If a company wants to impress me with a non-black lens, it would be candy apple red or candy apple deep purple.

And when you think about it, red would reflect as much infrared light as white would (thereby be as effective at reducing heat), while being less visibly obtrusive than white. Red would be the true pro lens color... And hey, Nikon's made red lenses for the N1 system. So there you have it. Nikon 1; the true pro MILC, lol! :D

Good news for mirrorless users,cant see how it will beat D5 focussing unless it is going to be a global shutter which will need battery power, processing power and cooling to do properly, unless Sony have cracked it in the colour camera field.If they have done it without carrying round a ton weight then it will be a game changer big time.

Is it just me, but couldn't a major site like DPR have a Japanese native speaking freelancer or something provide a coherent translation for a simple front-page quote.It's not as if Japanese sources are niche or peripheral to DPR's business - all the significant companies it covers are Japanese?

How come nobody's talking about Nikon modifying their F-mount lenses to become adapterless Z-mount? That's what I'd be interested in hearing Umatate Toshikazu mention...

Obviously they wouldn't be offering this for 50mm f1.8G lenses. But for 200mm f2, 300mm f2.8, 400mm f2.8, 600mm f4, 800mm f5.6, Nikon could charge $1,000-$2,000+ to convert a lens. Once they release this "ML D5" there will be a HUGE demand for such a service. Even now there'd be some demand. And it would be naive for Nikon to think that those with a quiver of $7,000-$12,000+ lenses (plural) are going to craigslist them away and re-up with Z-mount equivalents. Not to mention that such equivalents aren't even on the lens roadmap yet and I doubt we'll see them until at least the next next Olympics in 2024. Maybe Nikon returns the 300mm f2.0 for Z-mount... someday...

For the costs you suggest you might as well just buy an adapter for each lens and leave it on there surely? On the big lenses it won't really add any significant bulk or additional weight relatively. The only advantage of a permanent conversion would be that you couldn't remove the adapter at all.

The adapter is basically a big glassless hole with some circuitry inside so there would be no quality improvement and would potentially reduce its resale audience when you do decide to sell it.

There is FTZ adaptor, which is now, I believe, bundled for free. You get the FTZ and you can mount then all the lenses you mentioned natively. Thats the beauty of Z mount - it has all goodies from F mount already.

@Richard:Oh, I'm with you 100% when it comes to virtually all Nikkors. I've even made the same permanently-attached FTZ suggestion myself.

However, when it comes to big glass, that added non-permanent link becomes a magnified issue. As good as an adapter may be, added play is introduced as now there are 2 mounting surfaces, each with a little bit of play. Plus, such lenses spend time on sports sidelines where constant bumps, bangs, and downright abuse occur. So permanent modification for such lenses would make sense for someone committed to the Z-mount.

Plus, while I think it's mostly just whining, pros tend to moan and groan a lot about adapters. Well, a lot of people moan about it, but they are mainly fanboys of other brands merely finding something to wag their fingers at. But like I said, there's merit to this modification for big glass.

Some people have a seriously irrational fear of adapters! If you've ever actually used an adapter, you will find that your concerns are much ado about nothing. You basically mount the adapter and can forget that it is there. And that's without a *permanent* modification.

@ Aegon Targaryen1) In 2 years Nikon will have already 23 native Z-lenses on the market! ...that's more than respectable :-)

2) Nikon correct only physical problems/limitations of the old mount with FF sensors.

a) More space for IBIS movementsb) less light spreading behind the mountc) less distance for the light to the sensord) more room for faster/better AF-motors

...and so every Z-lens is and will be way sharper from edge to edge than their old F-brothers and future cameras will have faster AF and better IBIS...if you call something like that a hype ... than I really like hypes :D

Haha, so funny how some people here refuse to see that Mirrorless is moving the industry forward. Even funnier that they are saying that Mirrorless will fizz out. LOL. I love my D810 and it records a better picture than my Sony A6300 but make no mistake there are times often that the D810 just isn't suitable for my photography needs, especially when it comes to fast focusing for video. Sony wins. Continuous auto focus for photos and video. Sony wins. Previewing/playback in the viewfinder when broad sunlight washes out the LCD screen. Sony wins. Focus Peaking and Zebra. Sony wins.

What people refuse to see that? I haven't read anyone on any DPR thread refusing to believe that mirrorless is the future. Sounds to me like you're exaggerating a bit.

There's room for both users. It's not like everyone's dSLR's suddenly stopped working. In the end, when someone looks at a photograph, no one cares what kind of camera took it. If you think the quality of a photo is dependent on what kind of gear you have, then stick to your weekend photography and leave real photography to the pros.

You sound kinda threatened by the mirrorless world moving tech forward. lol

" when someone looks at a photograph, no one cares what kind of camera took it."

Did you forget that this is a photography website discussing cameras and photography? So yes, many of us do care otherwise we wouldn't be here discussing cameras.

"If you think the quality of a photo is dependent on what kind of gear you have, then stick to your weekend photography and leave real photography to the pros."

Are you for real? A PRO should care about the quality of a photo and what gear was used. Sorry but I'm starting to understand better that you're using your iPhone or Galaxy based on how defensive you are.

"Sounds like insecure Mirrorless owners, trying to comfort each other."

You sound more insecure about DSLR's perhaps taking a backseat to mirrorless more than anyone else here.

Yes, you most certainly are confused. I never said the Sony records a crappy picture. Don't make stuff up sir....or ma'am. I also pointed out the features that give Sony mirrorless the leg up. I'm sure you could read that but DSLR fanboys have to throw extra words in people's faces.

This is a totally fabricated straw man argument. No one on this thread is arguing that mirrorless will somehow fizzle out. The most you will read is how some still prefer a DSLR, and how DSLR's aren't going away just yet. Both of those points are valid.

You cite this quote as evidence of someone feeling threatened: ""There's room for both users. It's not like everyone's dSLR's suddenly stopped working."How so? That seems perfectly reasonable. Perhaps you feel threatened by some who prefer to stick with their DSLRs for now, rather than immediately switching to the newest tech. Not everyone has to do that.

Then you attack this self evident statement: "If you think the quality of a photo is dependent on what kind of gear you have, then stick to your weekend photography and leave real photography to the pros."

Pro's all over will validate that sentence. Of course they care about their gear but they realize it is secondary to the person behind the camera.

@Henry: congrats...you manage to find one comment and then use it manufacture your outrage. I hope that makes you feel better.

Read the rest of the comments and tell me what the overall themes are. That's true reading comprehension.

Also, I believe that the post you are referring to is more a commentary on the downward trend in the entire camera industry. It's more like the camera industry is so shrinking that this mirrorless "revolution" will not be so much. So once again your interpretation is suspect.

And of course you entirely missed the point of the posts from Gmon750, which I noted above.

@HenryDJP:You are correct.You said: "I love my D810 and it records a better picture than my Sony A6300"So Sony wins by taking a picture that is not as good as the picture taken with the D810?Still very confusing.In my world the camera that takes the better picture wins, even if it does not have Zebra and other gimmicks

@NOWHITELENS I'm only entertaining your post simply because I know you're purposely being rude. I pointed out the benefits of mirrorless. I hope you realize there are better mirrorless cameras by Sony than my A6300 right? Recording a better picture on the Nikon does not cover up the features of the Sony mirrorless. You know what I wrote so stop being an A-hole.

@NOWHITELENS - "In my world the camera that takes the better picture wins, even if it does not have Zebra and other gimmicks"

what part of what he said was unclear to you? " when it comes to fast focusing for video. Sony wins. Continuous auto focus for photos and video. Sony wins. Previewing/playback in the viewfinder when broad sunlight washes out the LCD screen. Sony wins. Focus Peaking and Zebra. Sony wins."

I agree to a point Henry, but I'm a working pro too and have all Nikon full frame DSLRs and have bought and used Sony NEXs, A6300 and A7 series, the last being the A7R II, but I have to say I grab my Nikon DSLRs every time I have a pro job on whether an awards night or a wedding as I can't work thru a digital viewfinder, I get more accuarte results from my optical viewfinders. . . I just did some board of directors portraits this week for a very large corp here in Sydney and tried both to start, and immediately put the mirrorless cameras away. . . I couldn't use them fast enough and was so much happier with the Nikon images and feedback from my clients as I took them. But for my artistic work side projects I really gravitate to my Sony A6300 because of it's ability to shoot at 11 fps.

P.S. I have also used the Sony A9, which I was lucky enough to try at the Australia launch here in Sydney, which amazingly fast, but I still prefer Optical.

@nowhitelens. I too am confused, by your comment!!! Read henrydjp comment again. Where does he say the A6300 takes a crappy picture? He doesn't does he. Absolutely no mention of the word crappy whatsoever!

Years from now, users will be bewildered that we once used these things called DSLRs that were big and bulky, had a moving mirror, didn't allow real-time exposure preview, only had focus points in the center of the viewfinder, didn't have face/eye AF tracking, didn't have a histogram in the viewfinder,and couldn't shoot video while you were using the viewfinder.

Getting phase detect autofocus onto the sensor, I believe, was the start of being a game changer for mirrorless. I still like working with an OVF, but have never worked with the best, state-of-the-art EVFs to compare.

For a long time, it was "I'll never view through a TV screen," but that has changed.

I'd be perfectly fine if Nikon dumped the Z-mount and made their MILCs all F-mount. But honestly, I like that eventually when I get a Nikon FF MILC I'll be able to use all my F-mount glass via FTZ adapter, and my M42, M39, and virtually every other mount made lenses via other adapters.

In short, I'm just not excited about the Z-mount for AF lenses. Meh...

Big name photojournalists like Doug Mills, David Burnett, etc, have already made the switch. Like it or not, the changeover is happening.

Canon introduced the EOS system in 1987. They introduced their first pro body, the EOS 1, in 1989. But it wasn't until the EOS 1N (1994) that EOS gained serious traction amongst pros. And up until then, people like you said "I have never seen any Canon EOS camera used at any press event. All I see are Nikons." Those statements certainly didn't age well.

Timewise, A9 was just introduced in 2017, Canon and Nikon just released their FF MILCs in 2018.

@A9RIII states:“Never heard any pro at these events argue that the 1DXii or D5 is better than the A9 though...”

Of course not. The Canon and Nikon guys are there to shoot the event, are quite comfortable with their gear, and may respect the Sony gear but are not interested in arguing cameras with some insecure Sony guy.

But if you have old-timers and veteran pj's like Doug Mills and David Burnett starting to use Sony gear, younger photogs are definitely going to listen, and "respect the Sony gear" even more. Same goes for well-known photogs like Annie Liebovitz;

All these big name pj's and photogs using Sony gear also bring us to another point: silent shooting with the A9, even at 20fps, with no rolling shutter. The days of clacking mirrors is steadily coming to a close.

@vFunct - Do you seriously want and need a list of every single photographer now using mirrorless? LOL, seriously? The trend is quite apparent to anyone with open eyes. Sony, Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Leica, Panasonic, Olympus and even Sigma are all now in with mirrorless bodies and lenses. Only Pentax are still exclusively with DSLRs. Where the manufacturers go, so too will the users. And all the manufacturers are clearly going mirrorless. Mirrorless manufacturers now far outnumber DSLR manufacturers. Cumulatively, millions more dollars are now being poured into mirrorless. The landslide of manufacturers and money being put into mirrorless is now massive. And as I said, where the manufacturers go, so too will the users. It doesn't matter how much you whine and complain and stick your head in the sand. The writing is on the wall...and it's been led by the manufacturers.

Changing systems is a massive investment, and unlike hobbyists pros are businessmen (and -women) that hsve to justify expenses from an economical standpoint. Photography doesn't pay very well, and thus gear will not be replaced as long as it works well.

So of course we will see pretty much all pros switching to mirrorless in the future (mirrors replacing DSLRs will be the course of history, I am saying that as someone shooting a DSLR and much preferring optical viewfinders) - just give it time.

@T3, I never said there are not professionals that are happily using mirrorless gear. What I said is neither they nor their DSLR colleagues are going to events to argue that their equipment is better than another's. Annie Liebowitz is unlikely to be warily eyeing other's gear or bragging about her Sony camera every time someone else obtains new equipment. She is too busy concentrating on her work.

What is it with all the mirrorless stooges on here? If Nikon develops such a camera it will take quite some time for it to transition as a professional tool even after it is released. Have a look at the Sony A9. How many of those have you seen courtside at the NBA playoffs in 2019? The way things arei going in the camera industry, this mirrorless revolution will fizz out like a beer in the sun

Canon introduced the EOS system in 1987. They introduced their first pro body, the EOS 1, in 1989. It wasn't until Canon introduced their EOS 1N in 1994 that the EOS system started gaining serious traction amongst pro photographers. But up until that time, people like yourself were extremely dismissive of the EOS system, asking "EOS stooges" the question: "How many of those have you seen courtside?" People like you said, "The way things are going, Canon will fizz out." But by the late 1990s, people like yourself weren't so smug. Just like similar comments back then, your comments won't age well.

The first pro MILC was introduced in 2017 (A9). The first pro mirrorless telephotos were introduced in 2018 (FE 400mm) and 2019 (FE 200-600mm, FE 600mm). Canon and Nikon launched their first FF MILCs in 2018. They will be pouring millions of dollars in the next few years building out their MILC systems. The mirrorless revolution is well underway, and it's not going to go away.

Mirrorless ILC is more like an evolutionary branch of the ILC, not a totally disruptive tech. The iPhone is/was what was disruptive, the true revolution, not only for cell phones, but for photography, as well as for many other industries. It's really quite amazing the change the iPhone has brought.

The situation T3 describes is more akin to those thinking the smartphone can never be an effective substitute for a "real" camera.

Like evolution, it gets a bit complex. One species doesn't always replace another, and change doesn't always happen quickly. I liken the mirrorless ILC more like the iPad and its quest to replace the desktop computer. The DSLR is kind of like the desktop computer. To me that analogy makes more sense in explaining the pace of this transition, and the fact that the vast majority of pro's are not abandoning their DSLRs.

My guess is the pace of mirrorless growth has been slow but steady is mostly related to people reasonably not thrilled of feeling like they are starting over from scratch for a new system after collecting thousands of dollars worth of gear for their current system and don't want to have to use a lens adapter to keep many expensive prized lenses from collecting dust. Mirroless Technology will further advance eliminating all advantages of DSLRs, but there's limits on how much you can use technology to retrofit old systems keeping up with the pace of new systems. Likely a big reason why Nikon and Canon finally caved.

@Romeojdr "Mirroless Technology will further advance eliminating all advantages of DSLRs, but there's limits on how much you can use technology to retrofit old systems keeping up with the pace of new systems."

You're talking as if the camera industry caters only to legacy customers. I hope you realize there thousands of new photographers born every single year and Nikon, Sony, Canon and Fujifilm will and are spending their R&D towards those customers, not the ones with $$$$$ lenses that will never switch to a different platform. These above companies have recognized that mirrorless is definitely the next innovation in photography and they have spent a great deal of resources moving forward with mirrorless. I mean, isn't that the point of this thread? Nikon's D5-series moving to mirrorless? Not sure why some people here are fighting this? Keep using what you're using. New photographers are what the photography world is catering to. Not the old fogy stogies that won't change.

@HenryDJPIn no way do I intend to sound disrespectful, but that was my point and I don't know how it could be clearer. Maybe I could have added "realizing the need to keep up with technology advancements to stay relative" to "likely a big reason why Nikon and Canon finally caved." Simply the somewhat slow pace of mirrorless popularity growth, particularly full frame, is the investment people have in their DSLRs in addition to fewer people entering the market because of most are satisfied with their smartphone pics. The only segment that DSLRs seem to still hold an edge is sports and wildlife and will likely be losing this last stronghold relative to performance with the release of this new Nikon and the Sony A9 successor.

Mh. With the vast majority of consumer photographic companies located in Japan, and this being a website on digital photography, you'd assume they'd have at least one person on their staff (or someone they can call) who speaks Japanese.

But I do agree that it is not hard to find people to do quality Japanese transition, and it shouldn't be that expensive. Google translate is great for the basic stuff, but as yet doesn't get the nuance and sophistication of a language.

As you mention there are a decent amount of interviews and articles about these companies in the Japanese language. Imagine if DPR got known as the source of where to get a quality translation. Other photographic websites would link to DPR rather than the Google translate page.

Try reading that translation with a Japanese accent. It actually sounds just about right! :D

"Nikon to introduce a top-end model of the mirror-less camera. Time is a non-published, but Umatate Toshikazu president was revealed in response to the interview of the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun. Top-end model of the digital single-lens reflex camera 'D5.'"

I don't think we should take the Nikon exec so literally about a mirrorless D5: what he means is a mirrorless pro body with high fps AF for sports and action shooting. He just used the D5 analogy because it is their current body.

@Thoughts:I agree with what you're saying. And that's exactly what I took it to mean.

Buuuttt... Let's look at it literally, apparently in the way Mariano did. Frankly, I'd be pretty stoked about a mirrorless F-mount D5 with an EVF, provided it could AF almost as well as the D5. Pop out the mirror and prism, and replace with a nice EVF with EVF-based/full-sensor-based AF features like magnification, vertical and horizontal horizons, and focus peaking and/or digital "split-prism 'focusing screen'" (a la Fuji), and AF points over 100% of the frame. Yeah, I'd be down with that. I'd rather they do it to the D850 though, and put a damn pop-up flash back on! :)

@Mariano:Nikon is thinking (well, thought... a long time ago, let's be honest.) they need to release a serious/pro MILC. The Z6/Z7 make great IQ (aside from striping when deeplifting shadows), but nothing about them is geared for pros. 1 card slot and no vertical grip is all the evidence you need of that. Even the D7200 offers dual-slot "insurance" and vertical grip. Plus, current Z ergos are very weak. Vs. other MILCs, the Z has the best ergos, except maybe vs. the S1. But compared to Nikon's and Canon's DSLRs, Z ergos are rubbish.

So that's the thing; the current Zs just aren't truly serious cameras. Yes, they're truly expensive, and they take truly good glass and they make great pix. But the cameras themselves are just not exciting to expert/pro photographers who always get all that anyway.

NIKON , teases us a lot about the Z system , and after all the time waiting , z6/z7 came with somehow high price-consumer bodies .NIKON teases us a lot about the huge S mount , and no f2 zooms or f1.2 primes came out .NIKON is workin on the D5's ML version , and i'm afraid Nikon will do it again ! i'm afraid of being disappointed .

NIKON , we love you , please , improve the AF-C and eye-AF of the z6/z7 , give us a d500's innovation in ML , and launch the pro Z lenses quickly to keep up .

@kkobaQ: "What exactly were you expecting that the Z6/Z7 didn't provide?"A: a 3k z7 camera can AF on my children without missing the moment .Q : "Surely you didn't expect Nikon bodies to be cheaper than comparable SONY models??"A: surely NO , i was expecting to be NIKON-ian price at NIKON-ian performance .

exactly... Nikon will have to go to sony to get a stacked sensor, and since there aren't any long z-mount lenses, Nikon owners will have to use adapters for their dslr supertelephoto glass.

if nikon owners want native af performance, they'll have to go with sony bodies... one way or the other, Nikon owners will be shooting sony, and it makes a lot more sense to be using a camera body from the same company that made the sensor.

Sony A9 won't hold up for pro sports shooting or intensive outdoor wildlife work, so it will get zero fps in real world use. Imagine a pro on the sidelines using a fancy new Sony body but it fails under the snow or intense heat...or maybe they get run over by a large and fast athletic body and the camera falls to the ground with the photographer, and the Sony is crushed. Not a pretty scene.

Canon/NIkon pro bodies get 12-14 fps now, more than good enough...no one seems to be complaining about the results. But again, the most important factor is that they are tanks and will hold up under duress.

@NicoPPC - I shoot sports at 15fps af-c max on the a9, but it's not good enough for when you want that magic moment of the bat hitting the ball, the foot making contact with the ball in a bicycle kick, etc.

@MILCman: There's a reason why you don't see a9's at the sidelines of the sports contests...because sports shooters don't trust them to hold up.

Again, the proof is obvious. Look at a Canon/NIkon pro body next to the Sony; it is glaringly obvious that the Canon/NIkon bodies will hold up better. Now sure they are much larger and heavier, but they do inspire confidence that they will hold up. And in fact they do that very well and that is why they continue to be used by sport's pro's and press agencies.

@Thoughts R Us - "Sony A9 won't hold up for pro sports shooting or intensive outdoor wildlife work, so it will get zero fps in real world use."

That's nonsense, and you know it. Back in the early days of Canon EOS, Nikon users used to say the same thing about Canon gear. "All that USM, IS gadgetry, plasticky EOS bodies, electronic contacts won't hold up for pro sports shooting or intensive outdoor wildlife work." Those desperate characterizations didn't work back then (against Canon), and they won't work today (against Sony). But I guess it won't keep desperate folks like you from trying-- and failing.

"0 fps in real world pro sports use, after first contact with snow, sleet, heavy rain, intense heat, or 350 lb NFL player barreling down up on you."

What are you talking about '0 fps'? Even by your standards you've lost the plot. You have no idea what the stress point of the A9 is and there has never been any published test online either. You think a DSLR is indestructible? damaging the mirror alignment puts out the AF as well. DSLRs have to be built 'like tanks' to work.

Any photographer shooting in extreme weather conditions shrouds their gear - whatever it is. And what are these sports that are conducted in falling snow and rain?

@RubberDials:You say that no one knows the stress point of the a9. So why should pro's and press agencies trust their livelihoods to it? Why would anyone give up on something they know works to go with something that might not.

Even you have to admit that if you compare the pro body of Canon/Nikon to the a9, the a9 seems to be far more fragile and vulnerable. It would be like comparing an M1 Abrams tank to a Toyota Corolla.

Sports conducted in snow and rain: There are quite a few NFL teams with outdoor stadiums and winter weather...see Green Bay, New England, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, etc. Miami has had games in the warm rain of South Florida. Just see which NFL teams don't have indoor stadiums; you will see they all are vulnerable to different weather conditions. There are soccer matches played in the rain. There are some types of motorsports that race in the rain, like F1. It's not uncommon and of course the weather can introduce an interesting factor into the contest.

@T3: hahaha..beautiful image there with all of those long Canon lenses and those Canon rain covers!

You don't want to admit defeat, do you? Surely you understand that even using rain covers, pro's still want the most durable body they can get, as a means of redundancy. And rain covers are not always 100% effective; you would much rather start with a camera that is properly weather sealed and durable, then add a rain cover. Which is exactly what you see.

Also, pro sports shooters don't pamper their gear, handle them roughly, and sometimes even get hit by players and/or balls thrown at high velocity.

Did you know that sometimes the army puts additional armored plates on the M1 tank? Does that mean that the army shouldn't use the M1 but buy Toyota Corrolas and put those same armored plates on them? Just as good, right?

So your argument is that it doesn't matter how fragile or vulnerable a camera is, as long as you use a rain cover? That's a bit strange of an argument.

You know deep down that the "Sony can't handle rain" argument is a losing argument. Nikon users tried to argue that the EOS system was too fragile for pro use. How did that turn out? It failed miserably. You're just showing your desperation. The ice you are standing on keeps getting thinner and thinner.

Sony's have yet to prove themselves to be reliable in harsh environmental conditions and that's a big problem for them with the pro's.

That's one reason why you never see the pro's using Sony's at sporting events, or really much of any event. Sure there are exceptions, but they prove the rule.

Sony can come out with all of their advanced tech, but there is one hurdle they must climb to get pro adoption in any large number, and that is to prove they have basic reliability and durability. So far they have not met that test.

@NicoPPC - "any sane person would take a rain cover if he would shoot hours under heavy rain."

and yet you contradicted yourself by posting that nonsense video... so i'll take it down to your level, and reply back with this sony a7, powered on and held under running water coming out of a faucet:

@Thoughts R Us - "Sony have yet to prove themselves to be reliable in harsh environmental conditions and that's a big problem for them with the pro's."

What people said about Canon back in the 1990s: "Canon EOS have yet to prove themselves to be reliable in harsh environmental conditions and that's a big problem for them with the pro's."

And..."Canon can come out with all of their advanced tech, but there is one hurdle they must climb to get pro adoption in any large number, and that is to prove they have basic reliability and durability. So far they have not met that test."

These statements did not age well. Now we have similarly desperate people saying the same about Sony. You don't realize just how similar you are to Nikonians trying to slander Canon EOS back in the 1990s, do you?

The Sony A9 is basically Canon's EOS 1 (1989). It's a first-gen pro body. Canon's breakthrough was with the EOS 1N (1994). Sony A9 II will come much sooner than that because Sony moves faster.

I do not think I did, one would at cover expensive equipment, even built like a tank, to work hours under bad weather conditions.. Especially at sport event where you can take much stuff.. moreover, one want to keep himself dry.. not only the camera!

"Renowned photojournalist David Burnett has just announced that he’s switching over to Sony camera equipment after over 40 years of shooting with Canon gear"

For 15 years, there was basically only Canon and Nikon which could offer real working system. Nowadays, any brand offer very capable system. So people enjoy some diversities and use Fujifilm, Olympus..One could make a such list for each brands

But it does not quiet matter to the final image as all those cameras are very capable.

yes, it does, your strawman claim about computer o.s. has litte reference to cameras, in part because Nikon and sony do more than just write the o.s. for the camera.

the fact that sony af is superior to Nikon af proves what I said... Nikon had milc af experience with the failed v1 series cameras, z6/z7 wasn't their first rodeo, and despite that previous experience they are still unable to bring ospdaf up to par with the competition.

Doubtful. None of these new MILCs are selling well, and their performance is not on par with DSLRs. Maybe Sony is the exception. For wildlife, I use a D850 and 500PF. No MILC can compete with that. Welll, maybe an A7riii with the $13K 600mm lens, lol.

many people have already bailed on dslrs… see this a9 combo for pro soccer, FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS + 1.4X Teleconverter lens:

"The rig does exceptionally well at grabbing and maintaining focus consistently. For those that have used the similar setup with Canon, you're aware of how the 1DX can sometimes go OOF for one or two frames in a sequence. Haven't experienced it once using Sony."https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1598914

"I switched over to Sony at the end of 2018 from Nikon after trying out a couple of A9's. They really are great and at $3,500 they are a steal vs Canon 1DX II at $5500 + 600 for the WiFi attachment which won't send to your phone... I shot the same Indy Eleven vs Nashville SC (for Nashville SC) and was using the A9 on a Canon 400 2.8 IS II. At some point I'm going to switch it out for the Sony 400, but for now this did a pretty nice job with the Sigma MC-11."https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1598914/1

DSLR not going away any time soon. I would still expect a Nikon D6 DSLR for the Olympics. Watch next year in Tokyo: it will still be virtually all DSLR's in use.

Pro sports shooters are not changing anytime soon. No need to. Their pro DSLRs already do a fine job, they have all of the lenses. Also they don't care about smaller size and in fact prefer the large tank size bodies of the pro DSLRs because they are durable.

Pro sports shooters don't just chase the latest tech to be cool. They are very pragmatic. They also are not going to risk their careers at the 2020 games to new tech.

Also keep in mind that due to a shrinking camera market, even the top selling mirrorless models are selling far less than the most popular DSLRs at the peak of the digital camera market. So there are far more DSLRs out there than mirrorless and that will not likely change anytime soon.

@MILCman: turn on any pro sports contest on TV, look at the sidelines when they show the press shooters and tell me what they are using. They are using DSLRs. Big Canon and Nikon pro bodies and lenses. That is not changing any time soon.

If and when it does change, you will not need to find some obscure thread on some gear forum to bolster your point. It will just be apparent. But for its apparent that DSLRs still dominate in the world of sports shooting. All one has to do is watch a soccer/football/basketball/baseball...etc game. So that's my proof to counter your anecdotal links. In fact those links you provide are the exception that proves the rule.

One problem to be solved if/when Sony hopes to compete: they need a larger more durable body. Sure some like smaller, but the vast majority of sports pro's like the big DSLR pro rigs. Keep in mind they use and abuse these all of the time; they do not pamper their gear. They use it I all types of weather as well.

@Thoughts R USGood posts. Very true. I'm not a pro, but I have a similar mentality. My gear now does what I need it to. I have no desire to switch to MILC and replace all my glass. If I stuck with Nikon, it's not even replaceable because there are no long teles for the Z.

"My long term view was that Sony was innovating with their bodies and the AF system that mirrorless allows. I was and am disappointed by Canon's work and products in this area so far. I was a long time Canon guy and if they can offer an a9 killer, I'll come back as the availability of lenses is so good. However, I don't see that happening and went Sony.

If you look back at any of my posts from a year or so ago, I was big Sony skeptic. But the AF system is that good. The eye AF is fantastic and the new tracking stuff is almost unbelievable.

@MILCman: imagine a tiny Sony mirrorless body in use at an NFL game, and the cameraman gets hit by a 350 lb lineman careening into him. It happens. Imagine a small Sony at Greenbay for one of their famous snow games. Imagine a small Sony in the scorching heat for several hours for a Miami game, or maybe in a pouring rain.

Imagine a sports pro with multiple bodies, he's moving around trying to get the shot, the bodies are bumping into each other...they need to hold up.

It's hard to imagine that because right now no pro could trust the Sony to hold up. Period. We've debated this before, but it's true. So I don't care what AF system the a9 or any a9II has, it's no good if the body can't hold up. And right now the top line pro sports shooters expect and trust the Canon/NIkon pro body style, and not the Sony very small and seemingly fragile body by comparison.

But the Canon and Nikon pro bodies also have great AF. Sure the Sony may be more fps, maybe it has better eye AF, but honestly the differences are marginal. You hit a point where all are so good that it really doesn't matter. It's like comparing a sports car that can go 180 mph with one that can go 190 mph, and our roads have a max speed limit of 65 mph. Does it really matter?

But one point remains: regardless of how good the AF of the a9 is, a sports pro is not going to trust that small body like they do the Canon/Nikon pro bodies. The best AF doesn't matter if your camera is broken or fails. Reliability matters the most and pro's don't pamper their cameras like you or I might.

All you have to do is place a Canon 1DXII/NikonD5 next to an a9 and you will see which one you will trust to hold up the most under the elements.

one of the solutions is the vertical grip. i've tried one on the α7R series and it feels as if completely new camera... my fingers are long and thin, with the additional battery back it was quite comfortable and convenient...regards

@MILCman: You wrote: "unsubstantiated FUD is not the same thing as real-world experience ;-)"

You constantly criticize Canon and Nikon: what is your experience using them? Have you used the 1DX series or the Nikon D3/4/5 series?

By your own quote, you should not criticize any camera you have not used...which, BTW, I think is a pretty good idea anyway. I notice on this site that most who criticize any gear have never even held it, must less actually used it.

2020 will be the last Olympics where DSLRs will still be in use in significant numbers, just like the 2004 Olympics were the last Olympics where film SLRs were still in use in significant quantities. It's the last hurrah for DSLRs. Times change, folks. Accept it. At one time, the Olympics were recorded on video tape. And before then, the Olympics were recorded on film movie cameras. Times change, technology changes. By the 2024 Olympics, there won't be many DSLRs in use. The changeover to mirrorless will be mostly complete. And the sound of a clacking mirror will be something of the past, just like the sound of a film motor drive-- does anyone remember that sound? Of course, there will always be those who want to cling to the past. I'm sure there are still people with VHS videotape collections that they love playing in their VCRs. But change is inevitable.

@MILCman: You know how I know what sports shooters want: I look at what they are using! Sometimes it's as simple as that. Do you have any better way of judging? Are you a pro sports shooter? I thought not.

Look at any sports contest and the photogs on the sidelines. All using Canon and Nikon pro bodies. You will see the same at the 2020 Olympics.

@T3: no doubt times change and you may be right about the 2024 Olympics. But those proclaiming the death of the DSLR now are very premature.

@Thoughts R Us - "no doubt times change and you may be right about the 2024 Olympics. But those proclaiming the death of the DSLR now are very premature."

The first pro mirrorless body was introduced in 2017 (A9). The first pro mirrorless telephotos were introduced in 2018 (FE 400mm) and 2019 (FE 200-600mm, FE 600mm). Canon and Nikon entered the FF mirrorless market in 2018. DSLR sales have been declining massively for years. The end of DSLR domination is nigh. By the 2024 Olympics, DSLRs will be not much more than a memory for many pros. Canon and Nikon may introduce 1DXIII and D6 simply because they've already sunk so much cost into them. But they will surely be the last of their kind. I guess it's appropriate that the D6 would be Nikon's last pro DSLR, since the F6 was Nikon's last pro film SLR. Both represent the end of their respective eras.

I'm perplexed that you think what is the reality now is an argument for what will always be the reality.

Of course Sports touchlines are full of Canon and Nikon DSLRs. These cameras were bought some time ago and were the best specified for the job.

The A9 is two years old. When it was released Sony had no long lenses to pair with it. By the time of the A9II debut, they will have even more than the 400/2.8 and 600/4 they have now.

You're dreaming if you don't think agencies won't buy heavily into a system as competitive as Sony is building. High frame-rate tracking in complete silence is game changing in sports/action photography.

The only possibility that Canon has of holding Sony off is if they can deliver a semi-comparable mirrorless to compete with the A9II at the same time.

@RubberDials - TRU is just getting desperate, that's all. He and his aliases know that he (they) are fighting a futile, losing battle of negative propaganda. I saw the same kind of desperation and negative propaganda with the rise of the Canon EOS system. It's deja vu all over again.

No. This is not a replacement of D5. Photographers will have a choice. Mirror or Mirrorless. If they buy Mirrorless they will have to buy Mirrorless dedicated lenses, otherwise, they have to get an adaptor. If they buy with Mirror, there will be plenty of lenses available.

Yes, at this point the Nikon "mirrorless D5" and the Sony a9II are just vaporware...mythical beasts. We literally know nothing about either model, and we don't even know if or when Sony will release an a9II, although it is assumed by many.

We also should not assume that this means that Nikon won't release a D6 DSLR...all assumptions are that they will. My guess is that they release a D6 first and that will be their lead model for sports shooters and we will see that in use at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The D6 will surely have better AF than the D5.

Sports shooters are not going to make the switch to new mirrorless tech anytime soon or quickly. I bet we will see a slow transition and so we may see mirrorless pro bodies more in use at the 2024 Olympics.

D5 mirrorless replacement in the works means Nikon has nothing to show now and is catching up with tech. Pro grade Nikon mirrorless no sooner than 2021 unless Nikon will try to rush half baked product soon.

Doesn't mean anything at all just express a though without any detail such as specs, release date, etc - they could bring out a Z9 at same time as A9, they could release other products soon, e.g., Z4, D760, etc

Nobody knows (from the outside) on Sony, Canon or Nikon's plan nor how good / bad the new releases will be.

Nikon is a second in cameras only behind Canon, and with Canon's recent offerings, stalled Sony, and new excellent Z cameras Nikon has a good chance to increase its market share. It is already has best in the world DLSR D850, so make a best in the world mirrorless too

Interesting that they are only aiming a creating a mirrorless version of the D5 and not the predecessor to it. That just seems like Nikon is declaring their mirrorless offerings to be nothing more than a half hearted attempt to keep their hand on that part of the market.

I think the Nikon exec was just trying to avoid spilling the beans about an upcoming D6. Even though we all assume it's coming, he probably is so conservative that he didn't want to actually confirm the model number.

So he referenced their current pro body the D5. We really cannot read anything more into that.

Going back the z6 and z7 release, I don’t expect the mirrorless d5 to be anything more than what that camera offers which will still likely be not as sporty as other mirrorless pro sports camera offerings.

Haha! Well, I write for a living so as I was scanning through these comments I was stopped dead in my tracks because that usage means the exact opposite of the apparent intended point. Don't know if the gentleman hasn't had his coffee yet or what. No offense intended. Gives pause in the same way that mentioning Nikon's EF Mount lenses would make you say "wait, what?"

F mount will solve the lens issue, just pull out the mirror and prism, add an EVF and maybe have some built in filters with all that space the mirror left behind. People that buy D5 don't care about a thinner camera. Make it the same size as it is now. Call it the D6M. Maybe even make a OVF version to give DSLR people one final body.

I don't think there was ever any doubt that Nikon would eventually put out a D5 like mirrorless camera; the question is still when. Any mirrorless pro body for action would be put out with the aim of starting a slow transition of the pro's to mirrorless, perhaps for the 2024 Olympics.

If you pull out the mirror, you're getting rid of the excellent D5 AF system as well. This is where MILCs of Nikon (and Canon) lag severely behind Sony. It is no problem for Nikon to make a Z series camera (Z5?) that is D5 class, save for the AF system. They have a lot of ground to make up in that departement.

I am visiting DPR less and less lately. It’s really become infested with Sony users who just upvote every single pro-Sony post or anti-other-brands posts.

Probably 30-40 of them. Some of the posts which have the highest likes don’t even make sense or blatantly lies. It’s starting to feel like SAR rumors site. Soon to be deserted except of Sony users and will become an echo-chamber.

Fly18 - when one goes trough your comments history and see your posting on DPR... Man you're the last one who should be complaining about someone being anti this and anti that. You, just like distinguished trollman below you comment, need to look at mirror and stop accusing others for what you basically are.

@TRU - I'm not sure is there something else left to said about your sad activity here. You're obviously paid troll or man with diagnose, "ism" just like RC quote whom you love to spill here every now and then. Amount of time and effort you spend on anti Sony posting is stunning, ridiculous and at the end, very sad. If this is not a paid activity, which I doubt it isn't, look for help man, there's a remedy for your condition.

@AlexLex: The funny thing is that everything you accuse me of could be said about you and the entire Sony contingent of trolls. You see how many people notice the Sony trolling, the way so many go out of their way to trash talk brands other than Sony. That's the point.

@TRU - difference between you and some of them is that you twist and spin facts according to your agenda, consciousness or unconscious "ism" thing, agenda. Yes there are Sony fanboys here, like every other brand fanboys, and it's easy to recognize them - they base their posting here on emotions and other irrational things. You, on the other side, transcended them all with your persistent "bad Sony, good everybody else". That's the thing that marks you here! So, if not a paid job then it's an serious issue, psychologically speaking.

Fly18 - glad you noticed it too... This site has become a platform for a few extremely vocal and very fanatical Sony pundits who either has no life outside of dpreview or, maybe, actually work for Sony.

No fly don't leave, who's going to back up TRU, StoneJack, Rex C, Max ISO, we are the last men standing. Everyone else have either switched to Sony or took up stamp collecting. don't be a quitter, quitters are losers. I'm sure you'll have your day to troll Sony. You have the experience. Hang in There buddy. It'll be no fun around here if you quit...seriously a Troll crying about Trolling, lol how rich!!!

LOL, people said the same thing about Canon EOS users back in the 1990s. Back then, we were on Photo.net (started in 1993). And Nikonians complained about how the forums had "really become infested with Canon EOS users." The reality is that usership was changing. Nikon no longer dominated, and Nikon users hated that fact. Now, instead of a Nikon user complaining about forums being "infested with Canon users", we have a Nikon user complaining that forums are being "infested with Sony users." LOL, how hilarious. It's simply a sign of change, just like back in the 1990s.

T3, as one of the omnipresent Sony 'besserwissers' continuously propagating your 'Canon is Doomed' proficies on this forum, maybe you should just think for a moment that Canon (and Nikon) knows what they are doing. I think the complete opposite of your propaganda is in fact true - today it is Sony who is the established FF manufacturer and Canon is the 'upstart' invading your cosy little space. Your 'History lesson' is totally not valid. Let's look at some real parallels:In 1987 Canon introduced the EOS mount against a large competitor that had a well established but less than ideal lens mount (F mount). In 2018 Canon introduces the EOSR mount against a competitor with a well established but less than ideal mount (Sony E)

During the same year (1987) Canon introduced a few but some really marvelous lenses with virtually only a relatively low specced camera (EOS650) to use it with (Like 300/2.8L USM etc). (Follow Canon's body and lens releases recently and you'll see where I am going with this) They even had a 600/f4 L USM out before the EOS1 appeared in 1989. All the time the F-mount users were scoffing at the Canon mount change and unavailability of directly mounted lenses - very similar to what Sony users are doing today. Loads of

Canon users switched to Nikon because of this and proclaimed so very publicly - Canon seemed to be doomed as you are predicting today...Then came the EOS1 in 1989 and slowly photographers started to realize the value in the EF mount and of course the lenses kept coming. The disgruntled Canon users quietly came back to Canon and there were a lot of new converts so that a few years down the line Canon was THE brand in photography.So before you proclaim Canon's doom once again, let's wait 2-3 years and see what their plan is - you might be very depressed by then...

yep a very silly move by a) Nikon canning DL series which would yield better sales compared to their key mission b) being late to game - RX100 model 4 by DL announcement c) not developing a coolpix A update or a RX100 + RX10 equivalent models instead of / running aside Nikon 1 programme - initially using same Nikon 1 sensors.

If you are going to build a D5-like mirrorless camera in time for an Olympic debut Nikon either needs to a) do quick rewrite of its mirrorless lens roadmap to to get a 70-200/400 2.8 and 600 f4 out the door and/or b) make darn sure the F-Mount glass plays flawlessly -- and I mean to D5 standards -- with the new camera.

People are making too much out of this interview snippet. It only confirms what we already knew: at some point in the future Nikon will build a D5-like mirrorless body.

But for the 2020 games, it will be a D6 DSLR for Nikon. At this point the sports pro's do not want to switch to mirrorless. Too much risk, not enough time, etc. Any press agency that was going to use mirrorless at the 2020 games would be testing them now at smaller events.

The 2020 Olympics will be mostly shot on DSLRs, the tried and proven workhorses of the camera world. At most, a company like Nikon will have some of the sports pro's using a mirrorless model as a second camera along side their DSLR, to start getting used to it.

Yes, mirrorless is the future, if you count smartphones as mirrorless cameras, which they are!

Here's the sad reality: the dedicated camera market has shrunk to a size of about 10 to 20% of where it was at its peak. It's still dropping.

So all of this talk about mirrorless cameras (other than smartphones) being the future kind of misses the point. No mirrorless camera today will come close to selling what the top DSLR's did 5 years ago. I remember at the peak of digital cameras you could go on vacation to a popular tourist spot, like Disney and see quite a few digital cameras in use. Now all you see is smartphones; you don't see very many dedicated cameras at all, and actually among those still see more DSLRs than mirrorless, because again, so many more DSLRs were purchased in the past.

So any victory by mirrorless cameras over DSLR's is going to be a small one.

Smartphones are not mirrorless cameras, which has a specific definition. Quite a lot of people make the beginner's mistake of thinking it means "any camera without a mirror". LOL.

And I don't find any sadness in the enthusiast camera market shrinking to a more worthy customer base, and not having to pander so much to the "I need a cheap DSLR with one or two cheap zoom lenses, so I can pretend I'm serious" segment. Losing them is no loss except to beancounters. Mirrorless future will therefore be better cameras for true enthusiasts. Looking great.

Smartphones aren't "mirrorless" in the same context in which "mirrorless" is used because "mirrorless" is shorthand for "mirrorless interchangeable lens camera". A smartphone is no more a "mirrorless" camera than a Sony RX100 is a "mirrorless" camera. Neither of them have interchangable lenses.

The ILC market will return to what it was in the pre-digital days. And if you were around in the pre-digital SLR days, you'll know that there was plenty of business back then. It saw the rise of the Canon EOS system SLR. Today, we are seeing something similar, except that this time we are seeing the rise of the Sony E mirrorless system.

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